DC Softball gears up for 2007 season
Nick Williams, Assistant SID

DEFIANCE, Ohio -- The Defiance College Softball team garnered many accolades during its 2006 campaign, including a school-record 29 wins, five All-Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference players, and one player named to the Louisville Slugger All-Central Region Team. The only accomplishment missing was one that the team had achieved in 2004 and 2005: an HCAC championship. After having missed out on the NCAA postseason for the first time in three years, the 2007 Yellow Jacket Softball team is looking to get back to the NCAA Tournament.

A year removed from a team without a single senior, this year’s team is led by three returning fourth-year players in the form of Monica Sigurdson (Oregon, Ohio – Clay HS), Jessica Smith (Attica, OH – Seneca East HS), and Renee Steffen (Leipsic, OH – Miller City HS).Steffen was an All-HCAC selection last season, spending all her time at shortstop, while Sigurdson was the team’s anchor at third base, starting all but two games at the hot corner in 2006. Smith, a regular in right field last season, was one of the team’s best at getting the runner over to the next base, as she led the team in sacrifice bunts with 13. These three are looked upon to lead by example for the Jacket squad.

The Yellow Jackets bring back three juniors for the 2007 season. Robin Diers (Pleasant Hill, OH – Newton HS), Laurel Palk (Lansing, MI – Grand Ledge HS), and Kelsey Sugg (Archbold, OH – Wauseon) all return after a successful season the year before. Sugg, an All-HCAC and Louisville Slugger All-Central Region Team selection, led the team last season in hits (46), home runs (6), and runs batted in (34). Diers and Palk each provided depth in the roster last season and made solid contributions when needed.

Entering their second year as part of the Yellow Jacket squad are Amanda Auzins (Napoleon, OH – Napoleon HS), Melanie Bushman (Harrison, OH – William Henry HS), Kayla Crager (Marion, OH – Elgin HS), Justine Johnston (Wauseon, OH – Wauseon HS), Stephanie Lieto (Monroe, MI – Jefferson HS), and Allison Ramsay (Van Wert, OH –Van Wert HS). Johnston and Bushman were both All-HCAC selections, with Johnston posting a 17-7 record with a 1.95 ERA and 126 strikeouts. Bushman batted .328 last season – third-best on the team – with four home runs and 23 runs batted in. Auzins rounded out the outfield, while Crager and Lieto held their ground up the middle. Ramsay served as the team’s pinch running specialist.

DC welcomes eight fresh new faces on the team, as each is expected to play their roles towards the ultimate success of the team. Joining the roster are Aarika Davis (Canton, OH – McKinley HS), Kylea Frederick (Defiance, OH – Defiance HS), Julie Miller (Horton, MI – Hanover-Horton HS), Whitney Risner (Lima, OH – Lima Shawnee HS), Danielle Shaner (Dublin, OH – Dublin Scioto HS), Krystle Skaziak (Dublin, OH – Dublin Scioto HS), Kersten Sobczak (Montpelier, OH – North Central HS), and Kendra Stone (Toledo, OH – Whitmer HS). Among these freshmen are three former high school all-conference players and two former high-school all-league players.

Head Coach Jodie Holava enters her second year with the Yellow Jackets after winning a school-record 29 games in her inaugural season. This is Holava’s second season as a head coach, after having spent a season as an assistant coach at Notre Dame College of Ohio in 2005. Also joining Holava is first-year

Assistant Coach Amanda Hayman. Hayman, a 2006 graduate of Northwood University, played at second base for the Timberwolves, winning the conference in her junior year.

Defiance begins its regular season on March 9 in Danville, Kentucky against Centre College. The first home game of the season is scheduled for April 3 against Tri-State University with conference play set to open March 31 at Manchester College.